109 



and land throughout the whole series of formations belonging 

 to the Mesozoic period, and ' typical specific forms persist 

 throughout all the separate groups which, from their extent, 

 indicate a vast periodof time. The great sameness of forms of 

 vegetablelife throughout presents a groat difficulty in breaking 

 up our scattered formations of this age into geological sub- 

 divisions, and I, at least, am as yet far from prepared to 

 indicate any satisfactory lines whereby the whole series could 

 even be separated into superior and inferior groups. In 

 time, when the distribution of certain forms can be more 

 exactly determined, a simple method of grouping, having a 

 local significance, may be adopted with advantage ; but in 

 the meantime I am convinced that it is only on the broad 

 lines of systems that we can suggest parallels with European 

 and other distant regions. 



DESCRIPTION AND REMARKS REGARDING NEW 



SPECIES, Etc. 



DBSOBIPTION OF NEW SPECIES. 

 PILICES. 



Glossopteris (?) moribuncla, Nou. sp. 



I have discovered two fragments of a small species asso- 

 ciated with the common Mesozoic forms at the shaly beds at 

 Lord's Hill, New Town. It is not certain that they may yet 

 prove to be a form of Sagenopteris, as their bases were both 

 imperfect. The largest fragment is 42 millimetres long, 13 

 millimetres at its broadest part near the top, and 9 milli- 

 metres at the base of fragment, to which it gradually tapers ; 

 midrib distinct, from which branch off at an acute angle 

 about 12 principal nerves in the length of fragment. These 

 nerves, after acutely ascending from midrib, curve and branch 

 outward dichotomously and flexuously, forking two or three 

 times before reaching margin, anastomosing at each fork. 

 The meshes, however, are more open than in the larger 

 forms of G. firowniana from the lower coal measures, 

 and the nerves appear to be more raised and wrinkled. The 

 frond itself also appears to be more coriaceous and fleshy. 



As indicated by the measurements, the frond is somewhat 

 linear-spathulate in form. In the smaller specimens the 

 spathulate appearance is far less pronounced. They are un- 

 like any description given of Sagenopteris rohifolia or S. 

 lasmanica, and apart from the circumstance that their bases 

 and mode of insertion are unknown, they seem to me to be 

 more akin to the genus Glossopteris, to which they have 

 been provisionally referred. It would appear, therefore, that 

 these rare forms are the dwarfed or degraded descendants 

 of that genus which gave such a peculiar character to the 



